Composition of matter containing alumina and silica.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. FRANK; Toms, or nmeamjmuis, NEW roux, ASSIGNOB. TO THE cinsommmm courmy, or NIAGARA ran s, NEW YORK, A ponroiumon or PENNSYLVANIa.

OOKPOBITION OF B19223 CONTAINING ALUKDIA AND SILICA.

Specification of Letters atent.

Patented Dec. 8,1908.

Application fled latch 17, 1908. Serial No. 181,660.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. TONE, of Niagara Falls, Niagara count New York, have invented a new and use Improvement in Com osition of Matter Containing Alumina and ilica, of which the following is a full, clear, and .exact description.

This invention has relation to a certain new and useful composition .of matter produced by the treatment of aluminum silicate, and containing alumina and silica.

Aluminum silicate is an ore of aluminum of wide occurrence and is the basis of all true clays. I have discovered that by smeltin this ore in the electric furnace together wit a suitable'reducin agent in proper amount, it is possible to re uce the silicon without reducing. the aluminum, and furthermore that by proportionin the amount of reducing a cut so that it s all be' insuflicient to reduce a the silicon, it is ossible to make a fractional reduction of the silicon to any desired .amount, leaving all the alumina and art of the silica unreduoed. I have also iscovered that by proper regulation of temperature I am able to fuse the residuum of alumina and silica into a homogeneous material havingrgreat hardness and valuable abrasive and re actor'y qualities. As an example of one method of carrying out this process I take any form of aluminum silicate, such as kaolin, preferably first calcining it to drive off the combine water. I mix with the kaolin a reducing agent such as carbon, in the proportions indicated by the following equation:

(1.) 2(Al,O,.2SiO,)

(2A1,O SiO,) 600 3Si.

When this char e is smelted in. the electric furnace the car on reduces approximately the theoretical amount of silicon oxid to silicon, and there remains alumina and silica in about the proportionsof 77 per cent. alumina and 23 per cent. silica. With the proper re lation of temperature these two compoun s are fused 'into a homogenous material; this fusion being carried out at the same time that the silicon is being reduced. By increasing the amount of carbon in the mixture it is possible to reducea greater proportion of the silicon and leave an alu mina-silica residuum having a lower content of silica than shown in equation (1) and conversely by decreasing the amount of carbon nace from which it mag in the mixture an alumina-silica material is produced havin a higher content of silica.

I have foun that the reduction of the silicon is facilitated bi adding to, the mixture base metal or ore suc as iron or manganese, which alloys with the reduced silicon. For example, using a mixture containing 1332 arts of aluminum silicate, 264 parts of caron and 616 arts of iron, in accordance with the followlng equation:

' 2. 6 A1,o,.2sio,) +220 are (6Al,0 SiO,) 1 1FeSi 22CO. there is I obtained an iron silicid having a content of 33 lper cent. silicon and a fused residuum of aumma and silica containing about 9 per cent. of silica.

Any ordinary form of arc furnace with vertical electrodes depending into the furnace pot or chamber issuitab e for carryin out this recess. The charge mixture-is fe into the urnace around the electrodes, and as the finished product. accumulates and builds u under the-arc the electrodes are raised to a low the finished roduct to form a pig or ingot of considera 1e size. amount of mixture has been smelted to form an ingot of a size convenient to handle, the furnace run is sto ed and the fused mass is allowed to cool. e iron silicid being heavier than the alumina-silica material, has a tendency to settle to the bottom of the furbe tapped at intervals during the run. perature sufficiently big ,it is possible also to tap out the alumina-silica material together with the iron silicid, and by adding resh charge from time to time to carry on the process substantially continuously. When the two materials are ta ped out together the iron silicid settles in t e bottom of the ladle, and, after cooling, is easily separated from the alumina -silica .matenal. Small ortions of the silicon alloy scatteredthrou the fused material may be separated there rom by concentration, after the latter, is crushed. The separation may also be facilitated during the crushing if the silicon and base metal are combined in the alloy in proper proportion to form a disintegrating alloy. have found that by taking t e base metalliferous material as manganese or manganese ore, in proportions to form a silicid containing 45 to 55 per cent. manganese, the alloy is friable and on exposure to air tends After a sufficient carrying .the tem- Correction in Letters Patent No. 906,339.

to disintegrate-into a, fine powder. An iron. silicid contistil -lir'ig' 35 per cent; IIOIl iS of si'milar character. Other disintegratingalloys may be produced in similar manner and for the samev purpose of facilitating separation of finished products.

The silicldsproduced in this process are useful for various purposes such as the refining of iron and steel. The fused aluminasilica material has a hardness equal to many 7 mogeneous, fused product consisting of aluof the case in the Patent Office.

[SEAL] mina and silica, said material beingsubstantiall y free from" basic impurities and containing more.than-5 per cent. and less than 35 per cent. aof silica.

2. Asa new article of manufacture, the

herein described homogeneous, fused product, 1

, FRANK J. 'rox E. Witnesses:

FRED I. PIERCE, CHARLES CI-IORMANN.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 906,339, granted December 8, 1908,

upon the application of Frank J. Tone, of Niagara Falls, New York, for an improvement in Compositions of Matter Containing Alumina and Silica, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 37, page 1, first 7 line of equation, the term 60 should read 60; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record Signed and sealed this 25th day of May, A. 1)., 1909.

o. o. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

Correction in Letters Patent No. 906,339.

to disintegrate-into a, fine powder. An iron. silicid contistil -lir'ig' 35 per cent; IIOIl iS of si'milar character. Other disintegratingalloys may be produced in similar manner and for the samev purpose of facilitating separation of finished products.

The silicldsproduced in this process are useful for various purposes such as the refining of iron and steel. The fused aluminasilica material has a hardness equal to many 7 mogeneous, fused product consisting of aluof the case in the Patent Office.

[SEAL] mina and silica, said material beingsubstantiall y free from" basic impurities and containing more.than-5 per cent. and less than 35 per cent. aof silica.

2. Asa new article of manufacture, the

herein described homogeneous, fused product, 1

, FRANK J. 'rox E. Witnesses:

FRED I. PIERCE, CHARLES CI-IORMANN.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 906,339, granted December 8, 1908,

upon the application of Frank J. Tone, of Niagara Falls, New York, for an improvement in Compositions of Matter Containing Alumina and Silica, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 37, page 1, first 7 line of equation, the term 60 should read 60; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record Signed and sealed this 25th day of May, A. 1)., 1909.

o. o. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 906,533! granted December 8, 1908. upon the application of Frank J. Tone, of Niagara Falls New York, for an improvement in Compositions of Matter Containing Alumina and Silica," an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 37, page 1, first line of equation, the term 60 should read 60; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 25th day of May, A. D., 1909.

[sun] 0. C. BILLINGS,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

